Flaws and Feats

Flaws and Feats (excerpt from STUCK 12 Steps Up the Leadership Ladder)
Queen Boudica courageously battled the occupying armies of Rome, but the Roman historians wrote her story from the angle that best suited their purposes. History has frequently glorified the wrong people, thereby controlling society’s perceptions.

Like Florence Nightingale, many courageous women of the past held high their lamps of courage and refused to be deterred by other people’s negativity or limited opinions. Why? They injected courage as the antitoxin to each event, each setback, each hurt, each duty. Spotlighting the flaws and feats of historic women allows us to identify the courage that empowered their actions and then recognize and foster that courage in the women we meet every day.

You may take for granted the rights that enable you to live in choice, squandering the opportunities afforded by the sacrifices of those who passed before you. But all women are interdependently connected with the Universe in their “feminine knowing of courage.” By honoring the contributions of history’s courageous women and embracing some form of contemplative lifestyle, you will refine the map that charts your career’s progress and expand your spirit’s potential at work. Step up to join your courageous sisters of yesterday and today.

So, what is your life’s objective? Your purpose is to live a life overflowing with courage that is unique to your spirit’s journey. Hold your lamp of courage high and ask:
• At work, are you squeaking by?
• Are you staying at a dead-end job?
• Do you feel dispirited?
• Does your work situation call for more light on the matter?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will appreciate the little-known woman featured in this chapter. Her story clarifies two critical elements about taking courage to work, the two elements that constitute your dominant challenge.
1. She perceived herself as courageous. Do you?
2. She gave herself permission to express her spirit’s individuality. Will you?